The Shadow Warrior: The King of Rogues
by DomonuT
Summary: This started as an assignment for my English class to write a gothic novel, and turned into something more.
1. INTRO & Chapter 1: The Dream

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This is my first Fanfiction, and really my first book. It started as an English assignment to write a gothic novel (seeing as we were studying Frankenstein at the time), and has turned from a short story to a planned out, full on book. Reviews are welcome, seeing as I'm not perfect! (Disclaimer- This is my property, all ideas and all writing in this work are mine. Do not edit it, or in any way make money from it without my written consent. All rights reserved, © Carter Bruett)

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Introduction

The sound of my racing pulse filled my head. Pumping a chorus of pain in time with the beating I was receiving from Ryan and his gang. They were relentless, despite the fact that I wasn't even awake, forget coherent. Ryan hated me, for some reason almost everyone did. Maybe it was my black hair that surrounded my face, or my tall figure, or how I walked, or talked. Maybe it was just me, but whatever it was, I was always getting jumped. There was only one person I actually trusted and cared about, and her name was Guinevere. Guinevere was my only friend, and I trusted her with all of my secrets. She was tall, and had pure brown hair. Her eyes were a vivid and deep green. She always reminded me a little bit of a tree.

After several painfully slow minutes, Ryan and his crew backed off, bored with their bruised meat. Reluctant to move I slowly opened my eyes. I wasn't too far from the street, and my little pool of blood looked like it was slowly making its way to the sidewalk. Lying very still, I waited for someone to notice the poor beaten up boy in the dark alley, but no one came. I opened my eyes to find an empty street with no cars passing by.

"Wonderful! Just perfect!" I groaned to myself. I attempted to sit up, but my arm gave way and I hit the ground with a thud.

"What? Who's there!" A gruff voice cried out, "I'm armed." Elated for a minute I let out the loudest noise I could make. Slowly a figure inched into view. A short and pudgy man appeared, let out a squeal, and ran to my side.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! You poor thing! Oh! You should be glad that I came along when I did! I'm a trained Doctor!"

I tried my best to smile, "Thank… You…" I barely could move my mouth.

The man replied, "Oh! It's not a problem! Really, I'll be right back with some muscle!" The man left with me lying there and once more I was alone.

It seemed like it took that Doctor hours to find some "muscle" but he did come back. They loaded me onto a stretcher, and put me in the ambulance.

"Hey, I know you!" one of the paramedics said, "We brought you in last week, right?"

I groaned, "Yeah… You probably did." The paramedic seemed almost happy to see me, "Well that means I know who to call, much less paperwork!" he said after a short pause. That was the last thing I remember before I felt a needle enter my arm.

The ambulance pulled into the hospital and I heard some shouting outside. Slightly dizzy from the medicine, I couldn't comprehend what was being said. Blacking out again, I woke up in a hospital bed. I stared at the ceiling for a couple minutes before I looked around. I saw a nurse in the corner.

"Hello?" I croaked.

"Oh! You're awake! You're awake! Your mother has been waiting for quite some time now!" She turned and rushed out of the room, and my mother rushed in.

"Oh! My baby! My bird! Oh! Oh! OH! How are you feeling? Are you alright? Oh! Don't worry just tell me the names of those nasty boys and I'll give them a fair piece of my mind! Oh!" My mother was as frantic as ever.

"Mom, I'm fine, really I am." As if on cue the doctor walked in.

"Better than fine actually. It looks like he'll make a full recovery." The doctor wasn't the same man as before, he held a darker complexion. His hair was short and well groomed, and his face was shiny. "This is the fourth time this month I've seen you in this state. Would you care to tell me how you always seem to find your way back?"

"I can't, he said he would hurt me, worse. He even threatened my family! I-"

"If it's happening to you, it might, or is, happening to someone else." He cut in, "To end this you must tell me."

And so I did.

* * *

The Dream

That was three months ago. Winter had come and the snow was beginning to fall once more. Needless to say I had survived my encounter with Ryan and his gang, and all the jumpings I had received since. My mom had enrolled me in a self-defense class, but I quickly dropped out. It was too much added work for me. It was late, and I had just finished my report on A Tale of Two Cities for English. Sufficiently exhausted, I decided that it was hopeless for tonight. I rushed the ending and figured I'd get at least a "C." Looking at my clock, I groaned. It read one in the morning. Forgetting about showering or brushing my teeth I fell onto my bed, and passed out.

I screamed as I hit the ground. Yet I felt no pain. I heard no sound. I saw nothing. Nothing but white, white that went on forever. I called out and got no answer. Standing up, I began to wander around, searching for a way out. After hours a door appeared. It was a simple door, no decoration, but it was made of a pitch-black substance. Looking around, more doors began to materialize, red, green, brown, blue, and much more. Confused I started to test the doorknobs. First, I tried the red door, but it was locked, same with the blue door. This continued until I got to the black door I had first discovered. I touched the handle, and it turned slowly, the door creaked as it opened, and on the other side, was a man.

The man was young, and yet he was old at the same time. His wisdom was obvious, and yet his dark complexion hid it. He was clothed in black fabric that seemed to lick at his ankles, and it seemed to call out to me…

The man spoke, "Are you Victor Shade?" he asked in a deep voice.

My voice was shaking as I replied, "Yes. I'm Victor, but who are you?"

Laughing, the man replied, "Come, let us go for a walk." I followed him in silence for a long time, I'm in a dream, right? What harm could it do? I thought to myself. Glancing around, I gazed at what seemed to be an endless landscape of night. The sky was dark, and the grasses that dotted the rocky path seemed black. I noticed a lake, and even what appeared to be a village, its lights twinkling, as if trying to escape the dark world they lived in. Finally the man spoke again, "This seems to be far enough, let us sit and I will explain everything."

"I am Cornelius Shanm, son of George Linguin, ruler of the shadow kingdom, and the crafter of the best cocoa this side of the ice realm, but more importantly; I am your great-grandfather." Something in his voice made me believe him. Maybe it was the tone, or maybe it was something deeper, a bond that I felt. I went numb. My mind raced to explain what I was hearing, far off in the distance, thunder sounded. My great-grandfather was dead! Or at least he should be. My mom always mentioned him, exclaiming her deep sadness from the loss after he disappeared during the war. I pondered this for several minutes, and then he resumed, "What I am about to tell you will confuse you in some way, but it will clear your life up. I am going to tell you a story, and it is a long one, but hopefully it will answer all of your questions. When the universe was created, eight beings emerged. They shaped this dimension and all of the others. They had no names and no identity but somehow knew what to do. Modern day scientists call them the elements. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Ice, Nature, Light" he paused, "and Shadow.

After they finished crafting the universe and what not, they went their separate ways. Each of them formed a tribe of sorts, crafting their ideal partner. Obviously they were very different, Nature's tribe being, well full of nature. I only know little bits here and there about the other tribes, but I am going to tell you the tale of _our _tribe. The Shadows. Shadow went to an area that he called '_Shamdgara_' He spent much of his time trying to form and perfect a system of leadership to maintain order. Finally he settled on a pyramid type of order. The Gods at the top, ruling all; giving orders to three mages. These mages, or magic users, were strong, and everyone listened to what they said because they feared their wrath. After that, it was just six sub-rulers and then normal people, who formed their own order of sorts.

Shadow was the most powerful Deity, and the others knew it. They fought with each other, which is why Fire and Water don't mix well together, but they always stopped once Shadow intervened. You see, Shadow didn't want the universe they had created to crumble, so he always stopped the fighting before they killed each other, but making sure that there was a clear winner and loser.

Each tribe had a style of fighting they preferred, and Shadow loved magic. He made sure that our army was made up of nothing but mages. He believed that magic was the most versatile form of fighting, 'From magic came everything, even us!' he used to say.

Every year on Nuesto 72nd, the equivalent of January 22nd, all of the Gods and Goddesses met at Mount Evarsky to discuss the state of the universe, and make changes accordingly. One year they decided they needed a seal for each tribe, as a way to tell who was a part of what tribe. You can't see it unless you know it exists and you try to see it, or when you use magic or you elemental gifts. Some tribes have their marks as permanent scars or birthmarks, but every tribe has one. Normal humans can only sense the magic, and they fear that feeling, which is why they dislike you, but as I have been speaking, yours should be illuminating just about now."

I looked down to my palm and saw a peculiar and almost indescribable symbol. The symbol was pure black and very crisp, and was made of triangles. One large one in the middle, and three smaller ones along each of its tips, using the larger one's lines for its sides. It didn't take long before it shimmered and faded out.

"Are there more? More Shadow Mages?" I asked.

"No, a long time ago the Gods and Goddesses met and decided that any number of higher warriors over two, because all tribes has at least one, was too much, and ever since then, only one higher warrior has been discovered, but in times of great crisis, three is said to still be possible."

"What happens if another is found, outside of a time of crisis?"

"They kill them. You must understand, the Gods and Goddesses are ruthless, they care about almost nothing except law, and the universe. Murder is a daily part of each and every one of their lives. We, as followers of Shadow must do our duty no matter what it is."

"If only one Shadow Mage is allowed, how is it you are alive?"

"Well, I'm not exactly a Shadow Mage as of this point, when you were informed of you role in the universe, I lost my powers, I already feel drained." I was still skeptical, how could this be? I asked myself, This makes no sense. It began to rain and I somehow tripped while I was walking forward and landed in the mud. The more I thought about it the more my mind became confused. I tried to stand up but fell down into the slippery mass. The rain got more violent and I could hear thunder and see lightning. I lay there for several minutes before I spoke again.

"If normal humans can't stand the elementals, why is Guinevere so kind to me?" He winked as the world begin to spin.

"One last word of advice… stay out of hospitals." His words faded out and as the world disappeared a black foggy shape with two seemingly empty eye sockets. The thing grinned revealing rows of pointed teeth and spoke, if even that, one word, 'Welcome.'


	2. Chapter 2: An enemy emerges

**(Disclaimer- This is my property, all ideas and all writing in this work are mine. Do not edit it, or in any way make money from it without my written consent. All rights reserved, © Carter Bruett)**

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An Enemy Emerges

I wrote it off as a dream, something I conjured up out of the depths of my imagination. Something to explain the distrust and animosity that everyone seemed to feel towards me. Yet it had felt so real, the colors, the sounds, the smells. If I hadn't remembered falling asleep, I might not have even been able to tell the difference.

I rolled out of bed stumbling around until I found my dresser. As I shed my night garb, in favor of my school outfit, I glanced at the clock. I had slept through my alarm, but if I rushed, I would make it before the tardy bell. I grabbed my backpack from my chair and my essay from the printer. I stumbled my way down the stairs, took a slight detour into the kitchen to grab an apple, and was out the door in nothing flat.

I sprinted down the sidewalk, my thick hair a mess. I bit out of the apple, and its juices dripped down my chin. I turned the corner to take my shortcut through the alleyway, and ran right into a wide and slightly pudgy man.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" I stuttered. Glancing at the man's face, I felt my heart, and any hope of making it to school on time, drop down into my stomach.

"Where do you think you're going? Afraid you'll be late for class? Don't worry, I'll tell the principal that you just didn't want to show up today… You were feeling a bit, beat up." Ryan said. His face was contorted into an evil grin, and he used his big meaty hands to pummel me into a quivering pulp. He pulled back, obviously preparing for a final blow, his 'End All' hit, as he called it. I closed my eyes, hoping it would end quickly.

"HEY!" A voice called out from inside of me, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU ARE A SHADOW MAGE! GET YOUR ASS OFF THE GROUND AND DESTROY HIM!" I had never felt such an intense rage before. I had put up with the beatings, the name-callings, and the flat out abuse for long enough, yet I didn't know how to defend myself. Everything seemed to slow down. Ryan's fist was moving forward, a look of solid determination, determination to injure me so badly I would never wake up, twinkling in his eye. I felt the rage inside of me grow, and grow and grow, into something that I could feel becoming real. I grasped that power, that tangible and bottomless power, until I could see it. It dripped from my hands, appearing to be black blood that turned into mist as it fell. I pulled my hands back, pointing them with my palms upwards. Faster than Ryan, I shot my hands forward, and everything seemed to speed back up, if not go faster.

Black lightning arched from my fingertips, searing Ryan. He cried out in pain, but I felt no remorse. I jabbed at him again, relishing in his pain, his anguish. I wanted him to feel how I had felt, but ten times worse. His chest was blackening, his shirt in shreds. The world began to melt away, and I fell.

I awoke in an awkward position. I was still in the dirty, and slightly damp, alley. I looked over, and saw Ryan's body, blackened. I reached for his wrist, and checked for a pulse. There was one. I ran out of the alley, all the way back home. I didn't feel like going to school, I felt like throwing up. My mind returned to the moment where I had wanted to kill Ryan, and easily could have, but something held me back. The thought of Ryan's charred skin, his shredded shirt, and the black ring that had formed around the poor bully's eyes had made me want to explode. To kill himself. Yet once more, that tiny piece of me held back. It was just a thought after all.

I fumbled with his keys, and forced the door open, and sprinted to the bathroom, blowing past my mother. "Where are you going?" she asked. Then: "Why aren't you at school?" Her only answer was the sound of his retching. I exited the bathroom, gave my mom one of those looks, and went to the kitchen to grab some water and top ramen. I glanced at the clock, 9:21 in the morning, I could still turn in my report, if I tried. It wouldn't matter if I got arrested, though, I thought to myself. My mother cut in, "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

Telling the truth would be easier, but it could get me in trouble, maybe even tested on. It would be hard to lie to her, she seemed to exhibit an extreme desire to help. I decided to lie anyway. "I was walking to school, and took my shortcut," I started, "I was walking through the alley, and tripped, I hit my head and passed out. I woke up, and felt sick, so I ran home, and here we are." There. Not hard at all.

"Well, I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I'll call the school, and explain the situation." She got up, smiled at me, and went to the living room. I felt happy with my mother, she had helped me out of a situation, and now I had less to worry about. I went up the stairs, and into my room, and fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was dark out. I found my way downstairs, and found my family watching the news. The attractive anchor had just finished up a story on sheep, and it cut back to the studio. "This is Breaking News. A boys' body had been found in an alleyway. His chest is badly burnt, and was in critical condition, but I was just told he is stable now." the anchor, Mark, announced. "Is there any idea of who did this, Shauna?" The screen split in half, and now Mark was joined by a gorgeous woman in a red sweater, with black hair and green eyes.

"The Police don't know who to look for because the boy just hasn't woken up yet. Due to the bizarrity of the situation, it doesn't look like we will get any answers until he does. Back to you Mark." Mark turned it over to a story about bacon, and then my dad turned the TV off.

"Poor kid, but he isn't the only one," my dad started, with an undertone of pity. My dad was a tall man, who was a bit on the heavy side, and loved the color red, "I heard you were sick today, got to stay home from school and everything! How are you feeling now, sport?"

"Yeah, I did. Lucky me, and much better, thank you."

"I'm glad. What do you want for dinner? To help push you up into perfection?"

"El Puente, that sounds good." And it was. What I didn't know, was that someone was plotting against me, far away.

A man is sitting, cross-leggad, in the middle of a room, candlelight washing over him, the sound of the ocean roaring outside. He utters a few words, and a great circle, appearing to be carved into the ground, appears around him. The circle is dotted with runes and makings from all faiths and times. The man chants, and a few eyes turn towards him from the shadows, watching, but not acting. The man stops chanting, and stands. The circle fades. Three creatures have appeared before him, and yet they have no diminishable form.

"You, my lord, shall be more feared than ever," one begins.

"More powerful than the Gods themselves," another continues.

"Yet one thing stands in your way. It shall be your one undoing." the first finishes.

"His name is Victor, and he is wise, and very powerful," the third finally speaks,

"he has the power to slay you."

"But fear not!" They chorus, "You have a chance, and that resides in the felling of this Victor! Command us, liege, and give us a purpose once more!" The man glares at the three being, and with a sweep of his hand, they explode, shrieking.

"So, we will get to meet, Victor. It has been a very long time," he mutters, "Yes, we shall have all kinds of fun!" He smiles, revealing a row of very pointed teeth. "Yes, very much fun indeed."

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**Who is this mysterious man? I will upload Chapter 3 sometime in the future. Please leave a review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Taken

**(Disclaimer- This is my property, all ideas and all writing in this work are mine. Do not edit it, or in any way make money from it without my written consent. All rights reserved, © Carter Bruett)**

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Taken

I spent the majority of my free time at damp book stores, moldy shops, and dark alleys trading for any information I could find to help explain the mysterious black lightning. Nothing was clicking, and It seemed as though I would have to call off the search. Something inside of me just didn't want to abandon the search. I could feel myself getting closer to the truth. I could almost taste the wonderful relief that would follow.

I set out once more to the black-market. You couldn't really tell where it started, it began gradually. Houses seemed to take on a more worn look, the streets got darker, even the sun seemed to shy away. The walls were filthy, and it smelled of urine and decay. You would see several "outskirters," traders who couldn't survive in the deep murk. A man wearing an eyepatch and a short deer-hide vest (and nothing else), limped towards me and croaked, "Hey kid, I've got just the thing you need."

I cut him off, "No thank you. I prefer to buy things from people with pants." He glared at me and hobbled back into his lair. As I approached the heart of the market, more people began to appear. There were women with long spidery (and sometimes spider-filled) hair. Men who wore nothing but a loincloth. Women who wore nothing but a loincloth, and the whole place reeked of misery, the smell of humans who have given up, who have starved, who have all but died. It was here that my life would change.

The long network of streets were soon coated in people, which told me I was here. They flittered in and out of shops, and poured out of the side streets. I moved with the flow of the crowd, looking for anybody that seemed like they could help me. I stopped at a stand, trying to cling to it as the current rushed by, threatening to sweep me off my feet if I didn't go with it. I glanced over the stands merchandise, but found nothing that looked like it could help me. I jumped back into the river of people.

An explosion rocked the street, flames loomed before me, and began devouring the poor people trapped within them. An enormous creature emerged from the searing fire. It stood on two legs, and had an odd colored purple patch on its chest. Its arms has two gigantic sets of claws, both looking dangerously sharp. Its head was horrific, a crevice of bone with one evil red eye gleamed menacingly, and from its head emerged six horrible tentacles, whipping around, some grabbing people and slicing them in half, petrifying there looks of terror.

I turned, franticly rushing towards the east branch of this three way, now two way, street. Another horrible scene greeted me. Several buildings were in ruin, blocking the way out. Two beasts were at the other end, tearing apart anyone who was closest. They has a reddish tinge, and prowled on four gigantic feet armed with very pointy claws. Four spiked jutted from their back, and their tails were dripping a purple liquid that turned to a fog. They had no eyes, and yet were still able to terminate their pray. With the rest of the now desperate people, relying on adrenaline to keep them going, we turned to out last hope, the South-West street.

The street was completely empty. A thick black mist covered the bottom, and as one man attempted to rush out that way, he paused. He turned towards us, and tried to run back to us, but it was much too late. His chest began to pulsate, and he screamed with the agony of a soul that was damned for eternity. The shriek reverberated around the walls, and was soon met by the horrible sound of the man's heart exploding, causing his chest to become nothing more than a shell. It was a wet, sticky sound. Like a bottle of champagne popping off the slimy cork. As if the man had committed such an act to defy God himself, his body began to shake and move. Several black tendrils that seemed to be smoke, grasped him, and his body, still shaking and moving like an old car trying to start, was torn into thousands of bloody bits. A dark figure emerges from the carcass. It has deadly yellow eyes, and takes the form of a humanoid. It seems to be melting, with wisps of black mist dripping off its body. It has no real legs, instead it drags along a string of this smoke along the ground as it moves.

All our options are gone. The remaining people close their eyes, praying, waiting for the end. The four evils are moving towards us, knocking off the new "outskirters." I move toward the middle, knowing it will give me the most time to think, when the man with no pants runs towards me.

"I know what you need," he begins at a whisper, "I Know What You NEED," louder now, finally screaming, "I KNOW WHAT YOU NEED! I KNOW WHAT YOU NEEEEEEEED!" He looks me in the eyes, and puts something in my hand. Then he runs towards the mist, cackling madly. I look down and see a tooth. It is green, and seems to have scales. I react before I know what is going on.

Running towards the East, I cry out in a foreign tongue, and throw the object. The two predators glare at me, and give out a fierce battle cry. My previous bravery is gone, and I turn to flee, when there is a blinding flash of green, and suddenly the two predators are dead. The way is still blocked, but there is hope now. Several people start to scramble towards the exit, only to be met by several very tiny four legged things. They look up, and utter a shriek to match the man who became the shade-like creature.

There are now more of them, hundreds, maybe even thousands. The rush at the people, and begin to devour the first few streakers. I grimace, out of ideas and options. I move back towards the center, which is quickly disappearing. I can see the tentacle monster approaching, and the shade is taking its time. The little ones seem to have forgotten about approaching us, and are just eating their fill. They let down their guard, and that was their mistake.

* * *

"Where is he!" Sheila moaned, franticly calling everyone she knew. The scene at the black-market was being televised, and she knew that Victor had liked to go down there more than what was good for him.

"I'm sure he is fine," I said, not really believing that myself, just trying to comfort my frantic wife. Victor was always running off. Never coming to us for help. As a father it disturbed me, but I knew that was how I was as a child. "He is probably just out at the park." He was wrong. Dead wrong.

* * *

Over the rubble emerged a man with short hair. His eyes gleamed at the challenge. All of the minis turned and began to charge, when he whipped out a staff of bone. At the top rested a triangle carved from the core, and stained black. He glanced at me, and then rose the staff above his head, and it started to glow in the center of the triangle. The minis rushed at him, but they were too slow. He thrust the staff towards them, and they began to turn into ash and drift away. He rushed through the crowd, and turned towards the fearsome tentacled beast. Without even phasing, he ran straight at it, flipping the staff around to reveal a pointed tip, carved with symbols. He shouted a few quick words, and jabbed at the monster, the tip radiating a black smoke, and hit the beast in the purple spot on its chest. It let out a roar, and then imploded, leaving nothing but the destruction it had caused behind.

He glanced once more at me, and ran toward the shade. It reared up and dove for him, much smarter than the other two. Its foul claws ripping through the air where the man was no longer. It looked around, hunting for the man that had survived its spell and its claws. It whipped around a moment too late, and a surge of total darkness washed over it, eating it into nothing. The black fog cleared, and a way out was found.

The man started towards me, and the crowd was just now starting to realize what happened. He got to me, and grabbed my wrist. "I haven't had that much fun in a long time. Come on then." He muttered a few more words that sounded like _Shanta Rala Ska _and we were gone.

The street melted away, and we were surrounded by a sea of white. It was familiar, until it began to really take form. Walls of pure marble appeared, four long hallways appeared, and we took the one to our right. The walk went quicker than I thought, mostly because I was still in shock. As it began to catch up to me, I realized how odd it was that I went so willingly with the man. I still didn't feel bad about it, or weird in any way, but it was still quite a shock. I found my voice right when I was hit by another jaw-dropping surprise.

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**To take a page from Davie... (If you don't know who that is, go to my profile) QUESTIONS: Why are Victors parents dead wrong? What is the surprise? Who is the second mysterious man with awesome power? I'll upload Chapter 4 soon. Please review! ! !**

**(:.:) Robot Kirby says Hi!**


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